Melany Glossa

Hello! I am absolutely thrilled and honored to be the next Forest Supervisor of the Hoosier. My first introduction to the Hoosier NF was back in the late eighties. I was a forestry student at Purdue sent down to the forest to conduct an oak regeneration study. I remember the beauty of the hardwoods and the sting of the nettles. I also remember getting incredibly lost in the maze of public and private land! I’m sure there are still plots out there that I never made it back to.

I am a proud Hoosier. I grew up in northern Indiana the youngest of four children. My father was a professor at Purdue University and I received my bachelor’s degree in forestry and wildlife management from Purdue. I went on to receive a master’s degree in forestry from Oregon State University and did doctoral studies in forest policy at Colorado State University.

My career path has been quite varied. I’ve done research and taught forestry classes during my academic career. My professional career began as a wildlife biologist for the state of Missouri. I spent time as a game warden in Ste. Genevieve, Missouri and checked a lot of hunters on the Mark Twain NF. When I decided to work on my doctoral degree, I also began working as a consultant doing NEPA planning for US Army Pacific, which allowed me to spend time in Alaska and Hawaii.

My work with the Forest Service began as a NEPA Coordinator in Region 2. I then became the Forest Planner on the White River National Forest in the heart of Colorado. At that time, the White River was the number one recreation forest in the country. My path then took me to Region 1, in the middle of Idaho as the Natural Resources Staff Officer for the Nez Perce National Forest. The Nez is a forest with an intensive fire regime and huge fuels concerns. I was fortunate to be able to move to Region 6 as a District Ranger on the Willamette NF. The Willamette is a forest with incredible site potential and a healthy and active timber program. And now on to the Hoosier!

At the end of my career, I want to be remembered for: helping to strengthen the Forest Service by honoring and caring for our employees; building great leaders; and engaging the public to advocate for us.